One Mission Too Many
by Serinidia
Summary: Neal goes face to face with a legendary con-man who is not only a genious but a man that loves other people's pain. When the mission goes wrong Neal is left on his own and seriously hurt. Can Peter get there in time? Neal OUCH and Peter WORRIED. No slash.
1. Attracted To Trouble

**Author Note: **I do not own any of the characters in White Collar. I wish I could but I don't =( Anyhoo, enjoy and review please!

_Click-Click-Snap, Click-Click-Snap._ The sound of handcuffs being opened and shut continuously filled the van and Peter growled in annoyance. He looked over at the man occupying the seat next to him and snatched the handcuffs out of the man's hands with an exasperated sigh. Bright blue eyes flashed up towards his own with a look of frustrated boredom. "Are you five years old?" Peter asked his colleague. There was a smirk from the other man and Peter felt the overwhelming urge to slap Neal in the back of the head. Not hard of course, just enough to get his point across. Neal looked over at him slyly and answered in his best imitation of a child's voice. "I'm two." He gave Peter another smirk. _Click-Click-Snap, Click-Click-Snap._ Neal held up the handcuffs with a wicked grin. He twirled his hat, which in Peter's opinion came out of a cartoon, and slapped it down on his head. Peter groaned and rolled his eyes as Neal put his feet up on the equipment that lined one of the walls and rocked back on his chair. "How many times do I have to tell you not to put your feet up there? And I've lost count of the amount of times I've told you not to rock your chair back. You know how many people a day get hurt just by doing that?"

Neal gave his partner a blank look that told Peter the younger man didn't really care how many people hurt themselves by rocking their chairs back. "You know I _really_ don't want to do this." Neal stated as he looked over at Peter hopefully. He was met with the shake of Peter's head. Neal sighed and got up. "I guess that I better get going." He muttered as he put down his hat and grabbed the baseball cap that was waiting for him on the table. He took off his suit jacket and took off the formal shirt underneath it. Neal grabbed the beaten old shirt and pulled it over his head. "Give me the case will you?" He snapped irritably at Peter. Peter motioned to Tanner and she handed Neal the beaten old leather briefcase. Neal took it and walked out of the van before disappearing from sight behind the old courthouse.

Neal took up a casual stance, hands in his pockets and the case rested against the wall behind him. He looked around and stepped forward when he saw the large red Hummer squeal around the corner. Neal got in and stared out the window disinterestedly and remained silent for the ride.

Neal stepped out of the car over an hour later. The Hummer was parked in front of a large two story house that had a basement and a pool. The door to the house opened and Neal was ushered into the living room. Several large men were standing in the doorways. Large guns were slung over their shoulders and Neal's mind went reeling. He hated guns. Guns were evil.

A small man with a pot belly and a thick beard entered the room and sat down on the couch opposite of Neal. "Mr. Caffrey what a pleasure to meet you." The single sentence sent the alarm bells ringing inside Neal's head. His alias was Jacob Small, a big time jewelry thief that sold priceless gems and dispersed them to interested buyers. The fact that Charles knew who he was, was disturbing. Neal swallowed before answering with an "Its my pleasure to meet you Mr. Eckert." He put the leather case on the seat next to him. It was beaten in appearance so that people wouldn't be interested in what was in it and his clothes only worked to further that image. The blinding pain that shot through his upper shoulder caught him completely unawares. He hadn't noticed the man sneak up behind him. Now the only thing he was aware of was the sharp blade protruding out of his left shoulder and he squeezed his eyes shut. The blade twisted and Neal gasped, his hand reaching up for the blade automatically. "Glad we could sort this out." He grunted the phrase that Peter had told him would be the 'move in' code.

Too bad Peter couldn't hear him…

Peter slammed the headset onto the table in front of him in a fit of frustrated anger. Almost as soon as Neal had stepped into the red Hummer static had consumed the line. He had lost Neal… again. Peter sighed and almost felt like checking his hair for some new grey streaks. "Tanner." He called her over, voice hard with worry. "I want you to monitor this screen. If Neal's signal shows up again, let me know immediately." Tanner nodded, a small frown of worry in the faint lines around her eyes. "Peter." Her voice was calm and reassuring. "Neal will be fine, if he gets into any trouble he will be able to get out of it."

Peter just frowned and shook his head angrily. He called his wife and the two met over lunch. They were in the middle of a discussion when his phone went off. Peter looked hopefully down at the number, hoping, wanting-no needing it to be either Neal's or Tanner's number. A crestfallen look settled over his face as he read the numbers of the unknown caller. "Agent Peter Burke." He answered automatically.

"Maybe you would like to strike a little deal Burke." The voice hissed into the phone. "You see, I have a little con friend of yours that you might want to have back."

Peter gasped, his face pale. Charles Eckert was a sick man and had no morals. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt Neal. "Can you prove that you have him?" He questioned praying that Charles was bluffing.

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Yes, hang on a second." The sound of people moving and a brief yelp made Peter cringe.

Neal's voice was a welcome relief to Peter. Peter grabbed a pen and wrote El a note telling her to get Jones to track the call.

"Peter?" Neal's voice was shaky and weak.

"Yeah, Neal I'm here." Peter replied concerned as he analyzed the weakness in his partner's voice.

Neal muttered something that sounded like "gethecomnlinkyupsy."

Peter frowned as he tried to puzzle out what Neal meant. Then a light bulb turned on in his head and it made sense: _Get the com link up_.

_I will Neal, I promise._ Peter vowed silently. He got up and grabbed his wallet. He was going to need a ton of coffee.


	2. Just Breathe

**Author's Note: **_**Hi guys! Thank you for sticking with me so far. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Those of you who are waiting for an update on the Transformers story: When The Past Catches Up; I'll update that pretty soon. So please hang in there for that story. Anyhoo my disclaimer is in the first chappie so if you want to read it look there. There is going to be a good bit of Neal OUCH in this chapter so be warned. Enjoy!**_

**Ooc: This chapter occurs one week after chapter 1**

* * *

If you could die of embarrassment Neal was pretty sure he would be dead. Being stripped down to your boxers while trying to keep your dignity wasn't the easiest thing to do. The men had instructed him to remove his clothes so the medical examiner could examine his injuries and to asses his health. The man was poking and prodding at the injuries that were spread across his body. He hissed sharply as the man measured the depth of the shoulder injury. _Why is this guy even measuring it?_ Neal thought exasperatedly before choking back a whimper.

"What is your verdict Harry?" Charles' voice boomed as he walked into the room. He came over and slapped Neal on the shoulder as if he were greeting him as an old and trusted friend. Neal winced and staggered forward slightly. Suddenly a voice whispered into his ear and he jumped before he realized that it was Peter's voice. Neal forced himself not to answer his friend and kept a straight face. _Thank goodness,_ he thought, _they must have gotten the com link to work_. They would be able to find him. He was going to get of here alive.

Charles walked around Neal, swinging a large hammer in his hands. Neal stood still and waited. He knew what was coming and braced himself. The hammer swung and connected with his lower back. It was a kidney shot. Neal tried to choke back the cry of pain and it ended up sounding like he was about to hurl. He dropped to his knees and was rewarded with a solid blow to the ribs. He gave a strangled scream as the blow broke off a couple of his ribs.

Just as he straightened back up the hammer slammed into the same area. Neal chocked his breathing hitching as the ribs were driven into his organs. He coughed and a wet gurgling sound came from his lungs.

Mr. Eckert left the room and motioned for his men and the doctor to follow him. Neal sighed in relief as they all left and slumped against the wall. His breathing was growing increasingly labored and each breath was agony.

Even though the ribs hadn't punctured his lungs the fact that they were broken would make breathing hurt anyways. Neal hoped that Peter was still at the other end of the com link and that help would arrive soon. He didn't know how much more he could take.

* * *

There was a crackle and a burst of static before the line became clear. Peter winced when he heard something collide with flesh and then Neal's cry of pain. Jones' grip tightened on his pencil until the writing utensil snapped in half. He cursed and threw it in the trash can before grabbing another one.

There was another pained cry and Peter growled angrily. There was a silence before a resounding _thud_ echoed through the speakers.

"Neal?" Peter called the younger man's name through the com link. When there was no reply he called the ex-con artist's name out once more "NEAL!"

A startled and weak "Pete?" came from the other end of the com link. Neal sounded horrible and Peter could tell that his friend was having trouble breathing.

Peter would have to keep Neal talking until they could pin point his location and get him to the hospital.

"Neal, I need you to keep talking to me buddy." Peter told his partner.

There was a snort on the other end of the line and Peter could picture Neal rolling his eyes. "So I'm s'posed to look like a schizophrenic freak?"

"Yeah Neal, the freak part shouldn't be too hard for you to pull off." Peter answered sarcastically. He was met with silence. "Neal?"

"M'ere." Neal's voice was slurred and he pulled in another ragged breath. It was obvious to Peter that talking was taking a ton of effort and energy from Neal.

"Hang in there bud." Peter encouraged as he motioned to Jones to see if it were possible to track a com link. Jones shook his head in a negative.

* * *

Neal felt his eyelids slide shut and almost jumped a foot in the air when a loud and commanding "NEAL CAFFERY!" screamed through the com link. _Must of dozed off_, he thought sleepily. _What is so bad about a cat nap_? Neal wondered.

"I'm still here." Neal answered drowsily. He wanted nothing more than to sleep and to let the darkness make the pain go away.

The smell of smoke wafted into the room from under the door. Neal inhaled as deeply as he dared (because of his ribs) and closed his eyes in frustration. _Why the heck is Eckert burning down his own house_? Neal wondered. He gave a small shrug to himself.

"…al are you still with me? Neal!" Peter's voice broke through Neal's thoughts and he groaned in annoyance.

"Kinda busy Petey." Neal answered as he looked around the room for a way out. The smoke was starting to get thick and Neal's eyes were watering.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked worriedly.

"Can't really explain that right now. Just let me think." Neal snapped as he watched the smoke go through a part of the wall. There had to be an opening or a weak link in the wall which was causing the smoke to waft through. With a small groan Neal struggled to his feet and looked at the wall determinedly. He surged forward and slammed himself into the wall. He gasped in pain as his shoulder connected with the wall and staggered back. Using his other shoulder Neal slammed into the wall again. This time there was a loud crack and a portion of the wall tumbled down. Neal crowed in delight and pumped the air with a fist.

There was a questioning, "What the hell are you doing?" from Peter.

"Depends on what you mean by that Peter." Neal quipped smartly as he stepped into the hole that was in the wall. He hissed as he was forced to bend over in order to avoid a pole.

He coughed and almost screamed as his body doubled over immediately in response. The muscle spasm of the cough had been bad enough but the searing agony that coursed through Neal's body when it doubled over was enough to make him think of knocking himself out. But that would mean burning to death and that option really didn't appeal to Neal.

"Neal?" The ex-con artist rolled his eyes in exasperation when he heard Peter call his name again but didn't answer.

* * *

It took Neal another fifteen minutes to get out of the house and by the time he did the amount of smoke that he had inhaled was making him nauseous and kept causing horrible coughing fits. He stumbled over to a nearby car and broke the driver's window. Neal unlocked the door and hotwired the car.

The powerful engine of the 2010 Ford Mustang roared to life and Neal allowed a satisfied smile to wash over his face. "NEAL damn it, answer me!" Peter sounded absolutely furious as well as scared.

Neal had been ignoring his partner for over twenty minutes now and Peter had been screaming in his ear for the entire time. "Peter, seriously quit screaming at me." Neal groaned as he gunned the car forward. "I've got a killer headache right now."

Peter felt like strangling the consultant and forced his voice to be calm. "Neal I need you to tell me what you're doing now."

"Driving a black 2010 Ford Mustang." Neal replied, voice tight.

"Where to?"

"I don't know where I am exactly, but I am defiantly moving away from the house."

Peter mouthed "Where's Neal?" too Diana and she quickly pulled up his location thanks to the tracker anklet.

"He's headed towards the main highway. In our direction."

Peter nodded in relief. "Good job Neal, get onto the highway and follow it for about 35 miles and then take the exit. Once you're there we'll give you some more directions. Ok?"

"Got it."

Neal was exhausted and he was surprised that he was able to stay awake. He checked his mirrors often, afraid that someone might be following him from the house.

He never saw the red Hummer that came roaring down the highway. The SUV slammed into the Mustang from the side. There was a sickening crunch and Neal's car went flying. The Mustang crashed against the guard rail and flipped over the side of it. The steep ravine on the other side opened is giant maw, swallowing the car and its passenger whole.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Yes, I know cliff hangers are evil, but this really was the best place to leave off. I'll start writing the next chapter immediately.**_


	3. Finding Neal

_**Author's Note: Hello guys! Well here is the next chappie. Enjoy! And once again, sorry for the cliff hanger in the last chapter. It might take a little longer this time for me to update because my senior year of highschool just started and I already have a crap-load of homework that they are dishing out so yeah... Oh and if you guys are wondering why I'm being so mean to Neal its because I was trying to draw him and it took me almost 20 different tries before I decided to threaten him with this story and guess what happened? Yep. He finally behaved and I've got him drawn =)**_

* * *

The sickening crunch on the other side of the com link followed by a cry of pain, shock and fear was almost enough to put Peter in a panic. There was the sound of grunts and groans from both the car and the con artist. Then there was silence, a very long silence.

"Neal?" Peter called to his friend desperately. "NEAL!" He was met with silence.

"C'mon Neal answer me." He begged, "please." The only answer that he got was silence.

"Jones, Diana where is Neal located?"

"He seems to be in the Ravine next to the highway." Jones replied a couple of minutes later.

"Grab your gear and someone tell the Little Guy (Mozzie). We're also going to need Jack when we get there so go tell him to pack his medical bag." Peter shot through the orders, already on his way out the door.

* * *

Ten minutes later Diana, Jones and Jack met Peter at the van. Peter stood at the driver's door and got in. Once he was sure everyone was buckled he shot through the parking lot and onto the road.

The rest of the drive to the crash site was silent, everyone was uptight and nervous. Diana was looking out the window, Jones was staring at the floor as if it were the most fascinating thing on earth and Jack was rifling through his med-bag.

Peter slowed to a stop when the beams of the headlights revealed fresh skid marks. The outline of the Hummer's skeleton was still smoking as the vehicle sat like a silent specter. The broken headlights winked on and off, cutting through the darkness like a beacon.

The team quickly clambered out of the 'bus' and Diana started snapping pictures of the scene. Jones went over and studied the Hummer and the path that car had taken with a frown. Peter and Jack were leaning over the edge of the ravine, flashlights searching the area. Peter exclaimed something and pointed.

A black Ford Mustang had its rear end sticking out of the top of a tree, hazard lights flashing. "Damn it Neal…" Peter breathed the words as he realized his friend's precarious predicament.

"Jones, hook me up." Peter ordered as he pulled the harness over his body. Jones gave him the thumbs up and Peter started the slow climb down.

Peter had just climbed into the tree next to the car when there was a loud _crack_ and the car slammed down into a lower branch. The branch snapped in half and the Mustang plummeted to the ground. The front end of the car crumpled even more and the car struck the ground on its back.

Burke cussed and quickly scrambled through the branches of the tree and dropped to the ground before walking over to the wreck. Crouching on his hands he peered under the car only to realize that _Neal wasn't under the car_.

He cast his gaze around wildly, searching for his consultant and friend. Peter found him some time later, sprawled on the ground.

Peter gasped and fought the urge to retch when he saw his friend. A big section of metal from the beaten and broken Mustang impaled Neal through the gut and pinned him to the ground.

At first it didn't look like Neal was even breathing but when Peter got closer to his colleague he saw Neal squint through the bright light of the flashlight beam. There was a weak and barely audible, "Peter?"

"Neal…" Peter couldn't get his voice to work properly. He went over and knelt next to his friend, hands shaking.

* * *

Neal squinted and breathed a weak "Peter?" He heard an answering "Neal" and he allowed a small smile to grace his face.

Warm arms slid around his body and Neal groaned as he was lifted up and then the upward motion stopped and he was lowered back down. It took Neal a few moments to realize that Peter had put his head in his lap. He blinked up, "Magic ankle tether?" Neal asked slowly, having to force the words out.

Peter nodded and replied with a misty eyed, "Yeah Neal, magic ankle tether."

Neal grunted something that sounded like, "bout time Pete."

Peter cuffed the younger man in the back of the head gently and felt Neal give a small and silent laugh. The laugh turned into a coughing fit that left Neal gasping for breath. "Calm down buddy." Peter coaxed, rubbing small and gentle circles along ex-con artist's upper chest.

"Don… don't m-make 'e la-ugh." Neal choked the sentence out between pained gasps. His body shivered as the wind lashed across ground and Peter unconsciously drew the young con artist closer to his chest.

Neal let his eyes slide shut, now that Peter Burke was here everything would be alright. He was awoken by a rough shake and he yelped as a jolt of pain shot through his body.

"Sorry Neal, but you can't go to sleep yet buddy. I know you're cold and that you hurt but stay with me for a little bit longer." Peter's voice broke in the middle of the sentence and he cleared his throat. He continued to rub small circles on Neal's upper chest. The younger man winced when Peter's fingers grazed over one of many sore spots. "Sorry." Peter apologized hoping that Neal would understand the deeper meaning to the apology.

Neal nodded sleepily and blinked at Peter. He understood what the apology was really for. _Sorry for making you go undercover, even though I knew that you really didn't wasn't too_. He shivered again and sighed.

* * *

The clouds that roiled across the sky grew and stretched. The moon that was-while trying valiantly- failing in its task of lighting up the night and getting rid of some of the darkness gave a gentle sigh and gave up. The world around was plunged into darkness and the wind howled savagely. Forks of lightning spun delicate tendrils and intricate designs across the night sky as the clouds groaned and released a torrential flood of rain mixed with a sleet-like substance.

* * *

Jones shook his head in disappointment; the ravine's cliff was to slick to scale down safely. He looked over at Jake and shook his head. It was a no-go. Not even the fire department or rescue searchers would attempt a rescue this difficult with the weather and conditions this volatile. "Boss," he called Peter using the walkie talkie he had insisted on taking with them.

"Yeah?" Peter's voice sounded worried.

"We aren't going to be able to get to you in this muck."

There was an audible sigh. "Well, at least Caffrey isn't by himself."

Jones nodded. "What's his condition?"

There was a long pause and Jones wondered if Peter had heard him. "Hooked bait."

_Hooked bait_. It was a fishing term; the bait that was put on the hook never had a very good chance of surviving. If Peter was implying that Neal was hooked bait then there was a good chance that the con artist wouldn't survive the night.

"Boss, I'm going to lower a remote control down the cliff to you, its going to be at the very base where there aren't any trees. I need you to get it."

* * *

Peter sighed softly. _Damn it_, he thought in a helpless frustration. "Neal, I need to go get something I'll be right back. I promise."

He settled Neal down; doing his best to ignore the pained cry the motion procured and got up. A hand shot out and grabbed Peter's ankle in a tight grip. The panicked look in Neal's eyes struck Peter. He was surprised to say the least; Neal never showed too much emotion. Not normally anyways. There had been the time when Mozzie had decided to play the middle man and then there was Kate. Peter shook his. "Neal, I'll be right back, I promise."

He moved away from Neal and into the night.

Peter picked up the remote and pushed the button on the walkie talkie. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Look up. Do you see the light?"

Peter squinted through the rain. "Yes."

"Good, it's a drone. Use the remote to guide it too you."

Peter nodded before saying, "Ok."

Fifteen minutes later Peter reached up and caught the small aircraft as it glided into his arms like an eager child would run to their parent's arms. "Got it."

"Press the _x_ button on its side, under the wing."

"Ok, did that."

"Now hit the square button and let go of the drone."

Peter followed the directions and let go of the plane. He half expected it to fall and break but the plane's little engines revved to life and the craft flew up and out of sight.

Jones reached out and grabbed the drone as it flew towards him. He hit the off switch and began to load the plane with supplies. Diana loaded the excess supplies onto a mother plane and gave the _Mama_ the coordinates of the smaller drone. When Jones gave her the "ok" Diana released the plane and it joined its smaller version. The two planes went into a dive and were soon lost from sight.

"Sending two drones back at you Peter." Jones told his boss.

"Alright. Do you want me to keep them with me?"

"Yeah, use the remote to guide the smaller one and the _Mama_ will follow it."

Peter nodded. "Roger that. Over and out."

* * *

Neal groaned with another shiver and looked around. Peter had been gone for a long time now and Neal was getting worried. There was a _snap_ and he froze. There was a low _whuffing_ noise as something inhaled deeply, followed by a _snort_ as the same creature exhaled violently.

"Peter?" Neal's voice was small and his mouth went decidedly dry.

There was another _crunch_ from Neal's right and he turned his head in that direction. He raised his eyes a little and froze when he saw two large and clawed paws. There was another deep inhale and Neal prayed silently.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Yes, another cliff hanger, but I do have to keep you guys interested soo… I'll update soon!**_


	4. Fending Off The Beast

_**Authors Note: Thank you guys for all of the reviews! Enjoy the next chappie =)**_

* * *

The bear lowered its muzzle in annoyance as the rain hammered down before looking at the clouds. Forks of lightning illuminated the bush in front of it and the bear snorted as a rain drop went up its nose. She lowered her snout back towards the earth (rain up the nose was never fun) and lay down.

Her cub had been missing for almost two hours now and the mother was exhausted. The bear dozed fitfully and when she finally gave up on sleeping she decided to resume her search. The smell of blood was carried to her sensitive nose on the wind and she followed the scent.

After a while the bear came to a large thicket like clearing in the woods. A creature lay on the ground, bleeding heavily. The inhaled deeply, scenting the air for danger. The fumes of acrid smoke traveled into her nose and she snorted violently. With a small _whuffing_ noise she stepped out into the clearing. The disgusting scent of the two-legged fouled the air that she had inhaled and she sneezed again.

* * *

Neal Caffrey looked up in horror as he saw a large grizzly bear step out of the bushes that made up the right wall of the thicket and groaned in exasperation. _Why does everything have to happen to_ _**me**_? He thought eyes wide. Neal decided that the best course of action would be to stay still and he did his best to keep a level head as the she-bear bumped his arm with her snout.

_Calm down, bears aren't man eaters_, he cajoled to himself, _maybe if you stay still she'll leave you alone._ The bear jerked her large and shaggy head up and Neal felt relief well through him. Then the grizzly growled and raised the fur on the back of her neck and she snaked her head in a dominating posture. There was a crack as a branch snapped and then the _whirrs_ of what sounded like miniature planes.

Neal craned his head to the right, doing his best to see if it was another threat. He hoped it was Peter. He needed it to be Peter or else…. He shuddered not wanting to think about what the grizzly could do to him.

The sight of familiar shoes greeted Neal's eyes first followed by a familiar face. Peter. He closed his eyes grateful that Peter had shown up. He would have been so screwed if his friend _hadn't_ shown up. He opened them again when he heard the bear roar. _Huh_,_ never heard a bear roar before_, he thought woozily.

* * *

Peter stopped in his tracks when he saw the big grizzly nose Neal's arm with its snout. Almost without thinking Peter sent the two drones at the grizzly in an attempt to drive the beast away from his partner.

_Stay still Neal_, he begged his friend mentally.

He saw the grizzly snap at the lead plane and he drove it towards the she-bear's face, causing the second plane to hit the bear in the eye.

With an ear splitting roar the grizzly backed up, shaking her giant head from side to side.

Peter drove the planes at her again and almost shouted in delight when he saw her turn and run for the bushes on the other side of the thicket.

Then the small bleating of a young and lost animal came from behind him. Peter froze, cursing mentally.

* * *

The strange flying things hurt, and were difficult to fight so the mother bear decided that a controlled retreat would be her best tactic. She was just about to charge through the dense undergrowth of the thicket when she heard a small and plaintive bleating noise behind her.

She slid to a stop and whirled around instantaneously. She _knew_ that voice. It was her cub. Hackles raised and teeth bared she made her way back to the clearing, wet fur standing on end.

_How dare this thing get in between her and her cub_?

With a fierce roar she charged forward and roared again.

Leaping over the prone body of the injured human she ran for the two-legged that was still standing. She was on her prey before it could realize what was happening and pounced on it, her great weight slamming the two-legged to the ground.

* * *

Peter yelped in pain as he felt the sharp claws of the grizzly mother pounced on him and his breath left him with a _whoosh_ when he hit the ground. The deadly jaws closed around his arm and clamped down. There was a sickening _crack_ as the bone shattered and Peter couldn't stop the scream of pain contained.

The terrible jaws came towards his face and Peter desperately jammed the large remote control into the bear's mouth. _Please, please don't let me die. Neal needs me, so please Lord help me out here a little bit_, Peter prayed desperately.

He was terrified that the bear would kill him and then kill Neal. He couldn't let that happen.

Lightning flared and lit up the bear's eyes and when the giant head came at him again, Peter jabbed the fingers of his good hand into the closest eye.

The bear screamed in outraged pain and she reared up shaking her mighty head.

Peter rolled to the side quickly, choking in pain as he was forced to roll onto his bad arm and he swallowed thickly.

The bear looked as if it were about to charge again and Peter made an experimental growl. The bear cocked its head to the side and the FBI agent would have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire.

Peter made a mock charge at the bear while growling and she actually took a confused step back.

The cub scampered over to its mother and once it was by her side, she took off.

"Neal?" Peter's voice was ragged and exhausted.

"Hmm?"

"Hang in there buddy."

"You alright?

_Damn it,_ Peter swore, _why do you have to know me so well?_ Neal must have picked up the pain in his partner's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Peter walked over to Neal and sat down next to him. Using his fancy jacket as a make shift sling, Peter secured his arm.

"I was wonderin' if you 'ere coming back." Neal stated. "Knew I could trust you..." Neal trailed off weakly, eyes sliding shut. The ex-con was unable to resist the call to sleep and slid into a blissful slumber.

Peter didn't answer him; instead the agent gently placed his partner's head back onto his lap and kept watch for the remainder of the night. From time to time Neal would whimper and turn his head from side to side in his sleep as if he were having a bad dream. Peter would simply rub gentle circles along Neal's upper chest and the 32 year old would settle down almost immeadiatly.

Who would have known that a criminal and an FBI agent would make such a good team, hell more than just a team, _friends_?

* * *

_**Author's Note: I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but I thought this would be the best place to leave off. For once I didn't end it in an evil cliff hanger. ~grins widely~**_

**__****So... please review? ~nods~ I like reviews, in fact I thrive on reviews =)**


	5. Rescues and Recoveries

_**Author's Note: I know I'm a bit overdue with this update but I do apologize! R&R Please!**_

* * *

The sunrise was beautiful. The splendor of the warm golden rays that were issued from the large star covered the land beneath it. It was breathtaking and one Agent Peter Burke sat in the middle of the thicket enjoying the view.

A new day brought new beginnings and the two men that were basking in the fresh new light. Peter looked down at his friend in concern. The younger man's skin was a pasty white and his breathing almost non-existent. A small amount of blood was trickling out of the ghastly injury in his mid-section and Peter narrowed his eyes in concern.

"Neal?"

Silence.

Peter sighed and readjusted his position so that his legs were a little less cramped and hissed sharply as a white hot pain stabbed up his back and torso. Damn bears. If only he could throw their hairy butts into a jail.

* * *

Almost two hours later Peter heard a crashing sound coming from the woods and he gently placed Neal back on the ground before staggering to his feet. His body tensed automatically as the adrenaline pumped through his system. Burke knew that he would be ready to face whatever it was that was making such a racket.

* * *

Jones hacked his way through the dense undergrowth with a look of annoyance on his face. Mosquitoes were all over the place and for every one that he killed three more took its place.

Cupping his hands around his mouth he bellowed a loud, "PETER?"

There was a distant reply and Jones redirected his path to the right. "Marco?" He called deciding that would be the best way of finding his boss.

"Polo"

"Marco?"

"Polo"

The two men continued the childish game until Jones finally stumbled into a small thicket. He blanched when he saw Neal and turned away. Jake pushed past Jones, eager to get to work.

"Is he awake?"

"No." Neal's voice answered the medic sarcastically. "I'm not awake; please leave a message after the beep."

Jake looked at Peter, eyebrows raised. "How long has he been like this sir?"

"Like what?" Peter looked at the medic blankly; the lines of exhaustion were easy to see on his face.

"He's acting…a bit delusional. I need to know how long he's been like this."

"He's only been awake for about fifteen minutes. Didn't really say much of anything until you showed up."

"We're going to need to airlift him to a hospital Peter," Diana told her boss gently. "And I think you should go too."

"Of course I'm going. Where else would I go?"

Diana could tell that the question was rhetorical and didn't answer the other agent as she helped him to his feet. "C'mon boss, we need to let them do their work."

Peter got up grudgingly and followed Diana to the edge of the thicket.

* * *

One hour and a half later, the chopper's blades rotated frantically as the machine raced through the sunny skies. Its precious cargo was slipping, and the rest of the people inside of it were doing their best to save that cargo.

Neal Caffrey had been successfully removed from the ground and the piece of metal that had pinned him to it. From there on it had been a struggle and the younger man was slowly losing.

He was fighting though and Peter Burke was grateful of the fact that Neal wasn't quitting.

* * *

_Almost a month later_

Neal Caffrey stretched with a yawn and glanced around his apartment. The road to recovery had been long and difficult. He had been told that he had crashed three times on the table and that he hadn't been expected to survive the next day. _Wonder what gave them that impression_, he smirked.

After being held in the intensive care unit for a week, he had been moved to a regular unit, only with his own room. Still another week had to pass before he was allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

Since then the days had been blurred with pain meds, physical therapy and delicious food from a doting El. She had insisted that he stay at the Burke's residence until both she and June decided otherwise.

Last night had been his first night home. He had missed the familiar settings of the apartment even though he had been grateful to Peter and El for letting him stay with them.

Today he was going back to work and his daily routine of being a pain in the ass for one Special Agent Peter Burke.

* * *

_**Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter was so short but I really needed to finish this story up and I haven't really had that much time.**_

_**OMG! Tonight is the White Collar finale! Too bad I can't watch it right away because of the amount of homework my teachers seem to be fond of giving me.**_

_**~Glares at the teachers~**_

_**That can't stop me from being excited though! It looks AWESOME!**_

_**I would like to thank those of you who have loyally left me reviews, chapter after chapter and stuck with me through this story. You guys are amazing. The thanks also goes to the favorites, watches and even those of you that have just read the story. This was the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed it!**_


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